"Like you could be with whoever you wanted?"

"Like your life was your own. Like your love was your own." Jess said with a conviction you don't often hear around here. A clarity. "Like if I wanted to kiss you. If I wanted to mess around with you in the back seat of my car, then that would be cool. But then you couldn't turn around and tell me what I could do or who I could hang out with. Or that I couldn't just meet up with somebody else and make out with them in the back seat of my car."

"Yeah." you say. hands shoved deep in pockets. praying that you say the right thing that you don't fuck this up. Because you're pretty sure you're going to fuck this up.

"People lived like that you know. Live like that. But here they did. And anybody who thought that way could come and live here. Share the chores. Make a home." Jess paused here to look at the ruins of the buildings. There weren't many, a few houses, maybe a barn, a chicken coop. What looked like a garage.

"Wouldn't it be sexier?" You say. you don't know why you said this. This is clearly the wrong way to go, but it's said. It's out and you have to stick to it.

"Sexier? You mean like red velvet and lace or something?"

"Well. No. Just. This looks like a farm."

"It was a farm."

"Not like a place for free love." you stumble over the words, but you get them out. You can talk about things. You are not a moron. You smile awkwardly. A sideways kindof grin that you realize immediately betrays your lack of confidence so you quickly shut it down.

"What do you think love is?" Jess asks. She's turned to face you directly. Eyes fixed on yours.




"Um"